In these days of rising fuel costs, the need for efficient space heating has become more acute. Central heating is normally relatively wasteful of fuel, and, accordingly, space heating has become increasingly desirable from the economic viewpoint. Among the most economical space heaters are kerosene heaters, and much progress has been made in the design of kerosene heaters over the past decade, particularly insofar as safety of such heaters is concerned.
Nevertheless, a number of problems continue to exist with respect to kerosene space heaters. Primary among these problems is the fact that these kerosene space heaters, because they burn a fuel in a relatively closed environment, inevitably emit potentially harmful products of combustion, including a certain degree of soot and oily vapors, as well as carbon dioxide which is the desired product of combustion. As kerosene space heaters have no chimney, the products of combustion are deposited in the space, i.e., the room, being heated when they are taken into the lungs. It is therefore desirable to eliminate or at least minimize to the greatest extend possible all emissions other than carbon dioxide. While modern kerosene heaters are extremely efficient, even the best do continue to emit some quantities of undesirable oily vapors and soot into the hatitable space environment.
The 1919 Baron U.S. Pat. No. 1,304,728 discloses a heat distributor for location above a gas burner. The distributor is made in the form of a propeller or fan and comprises a circular body having a conical cap which rests on the tip of a rod, the body being cut with a number of L-shaped incisions so as to produce blades or flukes. Heated air rising from the gas burners escapes through the blades thereby causing the propeller or fan to rotate and thereby throw the heat to remote parts of the room.
The 1917 Fischer U.S. Pat. No. 1,226,964 discloses a gas heater having a rotatable fan thereabove. Similar to the aforementioned Baron patent, the currents of heated air from the flame cause the fan to rotate thereby throwing the heated air outwardly and improving heated air distribution.
The Warner U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,620 discloses a device adapted to be set over a heat-supplying source such as a cleanly burning burner, a stove top, or an electrically heated unit. The device includes a hood having an open side so constructed and arranged that a rising, breatheable air current, produced by convection, will be deflected and redirected substantially horizontally to occupied portions of the occupied area. A series of disk-shaped heat absorbers are provided within the hood.
The 1904 Hallett U.S. Pat. No. 764,843 discloses a heater for attachment to a kerosene burner, including a series of disk-shaped plates which fit above and are heated by the rising vapors. The patent indicates that these plates become hot, and that the disclosed structure "also prevents the smoking of the ceiling" (lines 79-80).
The 1895 Willis U.S. Pat. No. 538,718 discloses a smoke arrester for "arresting, removing and recovering carbon from smoke". The device is adapted for placement in a chimney or flue and it comprises a double cone-shaped screen beneath and above which are provided fans "operated by the draft within the flue or chimney".
The Beaudoin U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,609 shows a disposable chimney liner in bag form which is inflated within a chimney to provide a liner so that grease which would deposit in the chimney will instead deposit on the liner.
The Benoit U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,782 discloses an inverted dish-shaped perforated deflector which assists in removing particulate material from a gaseous stream.
No device is known which is suitable for use with a portable kerosene heater, to assist in the elimination of emissions from the heater, and yet which device is simple, inexpensive and includes inexpensive disposable elements.